One Dollar Lawyer (2022) 천원짜리 변호사
Directed by Kim Jae-hyun and Shin Jung-hoon, starring Namkoong Min, Kim Ji-eun, Lee Chung-ah, Park Jin-woo, Choi Dae-hoon and Gong Min-jung.
Watched 18 - 29 August 2024 — 12 episodes (DRAMACOOL)
*Really ... this show started out so promising! The first five episodes are a lot of fun and the humour is well balanced. Then it makes a drastic tonal shift halfway through episode 6 when the backstory of Namkoong Min is being told in a long flashback. He suffers great tragedy due to the loss of his father and girlfriend and eps. 6, 7 & 8 are mostly serious and rather dark. It feels like a different show, even Namkoong Min looks different with a straight hairstyle and less flashy clothes. Despite deviating from the lighthearted vibe of the prior episodes, I really liked eps. 6, 7 & 8 and wouldn't have minded it to be a serious show on its own.
*In a way the show felt like 3 parts. Episodes 1-5, episodes 6-8, and episodes 9-12. The first two parts are good, despite being different in tone, but when in ep. 9 the story picks up after the flashback and returns to the present day, the series starts to feel incoherent and messy. The humour is forced, the characters act goofy, and Kim Ji-eun's funny facial expressions are repeated too often. In episode 10, the humour with the gambling scenes gets way over the top.
*In ep. 11 we get a one-year time lap, with Kim Ji-eun working for her grandpa's law firm and Namkoong Min having left the one dollar lawyer's office and living the village life. He gives a tedious speech in front of the villagers about his lawyer's record, and since it's the penultimate episode, I felt we were wasting screen time. In fact, this episode is quite a mess.
*The final episode felt a bit rushed. I liked how Namkoong Min made a reference to his girlfriend as the person he loved the most, and since she started the 1,000 won lawyer's office, he wanted to continue that.
*I did like Namkoong Min's character but he could have been developed better. Same goes for the female lead. I like them together with Park Jin-woo and their interactions are mostly fun.
*There is romance but not between the main couple. Though Namkoong Min and Kim Ji-eun have good rapport, Namkoong Min has the best chemistry with Lee Chung-ah. Seen them together in My Dearest and really like them as a romantic couple. They just look natural together. I love their relationship here but unfortunately they were not the OTP and I knew beforehand she was going to die. So please ... someone give them a show with a romance where they are the OTP! They didn't even kiss here, sob. (They also star together in Awaken but I don't think the show has romance. Still, I will check that out very soon.)
*Love Choi Dae-hoon and Gong Min-jung at the Prosecutors' Office. He is infatuated with Kim Ji-eun but I love him with Gong Min-jung and I think they harbour warm feelings towards each other. Unfortunately their relationship didn't get a chance to be further developed.
*Ultimately the series is disappointing and quite messy. The tonal shifts are jarring, and the comedy elements don't blend well with the more serious and dark parts. I read somewhere that a conflict between the writer and production company was rumoured to be responsible for the shortened run of 12 episodes instead of the intended 14/16 episodes. The incoherent episodes could have something to do with that. Yet overall the performances are good and it just whets my appetite for more shows starring Namkoong Min.